Forecast‘25

“Outstanding event! HSE leads the way, setting the bar extremely high for value-added content and conversations. Great series”

“Enjoyed the sessions during the Hard Skill Exchange AI Summit today.
One of the sessions focused on leveraging AI in outbound prospecting efforts.
A few takeaways…
80% of the buyer journey happens before they even speak with a seller.
People are intentionally writing emails to not look like AI even if they’re using AI to find and target them.
It’s next to impossible to get someone in market when they are not already shopping for a solution (At least for a purchase within next 12 months).
Use #AI and data to find those in market and (3% or less are in market at a given time) FOCUS efforts there.
Most companies are using the same signals like job changes so in order to stand out blend 1st party data along with these signals you and everyone else are capturing”

“Sitting in on all the sessions at the AI Summit. Shockingly, they are allowing it to be free. It’s been massively helpful”

“The best part of my job is getting to speak to the smartest people in the sales tech market. I had the opportunity to do this yesterday at the Hard Skill Exchange #AISummit. We talked about AI in qualification. Here are a few comments that stood out from the conversation.
People and AI together is where things are going. Anyone who says they can replace your BDR/SDR is overselling AI and their product;
Only replace your BDR/SDR with AI if you are ok with burning your TAM to the ground;
The BDR/SDR of the future will require a much higher skill level than they do now;
AI will let buyers get more value from the qualification process;
The current version of BDR/SDR processes leads to so much spam. I wish I could declare email bankruptcy to make it stop. It keeps me from catching opportunities I may really value”

“HSE has once again proven it is the place where top minds in business, entrepreneurship, and go to market strategy convene and freely share best practices and innovative ideologies”

“Day 1 of the AI Summit for B2B hosted by Hard Skill Exchange sparked some thought-provoking conversations. Here are a few things to consider:
AI’s potential goes beyond efficiency—it’s time to focus on how AI can drive effectiveness in marketing and sales.
In AI-driven prospecting, less is more—accuracy should be prioritized over volume.
Context is king: AI can equip GTM teams with the right information at the right time, improving the buyer experience.
With 80–90% of the sales process happening before a conversation with Sales, salespeople must evolve into buyer enablers.
What are your key takeaways from adjusting your GTM strategy in response to AI advancements?”